Without an answer: Louisville cracks open Tar Heels in ACC stunner

Saturday

CHAPEL HILL — The responses from North Carolina’s team ranged from perturbed to perplexed.

Any way it was broken down, Saturday afternoon’s 83-62 loss to visiting Louisville at the Smith Center certainly qualified as stunning.

“Sometimes when things are going south, it’s hard to fight and we just have to do better with that,” North Carolina guard Cameron Johnson said. “We got our butts kicked. It’s on us to play better and do better. Coming out to have this performance is disappointing.”

The result was the most-lopsided home loss in coach Roy Williams’ 16 seasons.

“Whatever we did to prepare for the game don’t ever do it again,” Williams said.

A variety of the numbers were disturbing for the Tar Heels (12-4 overall, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who shot 34.5 percent from the field.

Louisville held a 40-31 rebounding edge, while North Carolina committed 15 turnovers.

Senior guard Kenny Williams realized it all added up to something miserable.

“That’s the perfect example of the ACC — if there’s one game you don’t come to play, it happens just like that,” he said. “We just weren’t focused, man. We kind of got what we deserved.”

North Carolina opened ACC play with victories at Pittsburgh and No. 15 North Carolina State.

“Couldn’t stand prosperity,” Roy Williams said.

Reserve forward Brandon Huffman put it this way: “We were kind of on a high coming off two road wins. … We’d much rather have this now than later in the season … (but) to lay an egg at home.”

Kenny Williams scored 12 points and Cameron Johnson added 10 for the Tar Heels, who had a four-game winning streak snapped while coming off a riveting 90-82 victory against No. 15 North Carolina State on Tuesday night.

Johnson, who missed the final 12 ½ minutes at N.C. State because of leg cramps, was back in action, though he was 3-for-8 from the field (including 0-for-4 on 3s).

After scoring on the first possession of the second half, the Tar Heels endured a field-goal drought of more than 4 ½ minutes. Starting forward Garrison Brooks picked up his fourth foul at the 12-minute mark.

Louisville was up 66-47 with eight minutes to play.

Louisville broke out to an 18-8 lead in less than 4 ½ minutes. The Cardinals led by as many as 15 points, missing a few shots to extend the gap.

“They hit us early,” Roy Williams said. “We never really got into the game. I would like to give you a brilliant answer as to why, but I can’t.”

North Carolina was 2-for-14 on 3-point attempts in the opening half and 3-for-22 for the game.

“The shots we usually make didn’t fall,” said Johnson, who was without a 3-pointer for the first time this season.

Louisville made six of its first nine 3-point shots.

“They have the right to play very well whether it’s at home or on the road,” Roy Williams said.

“I didn’t think they’d dominate everything inside like that.”

• FREE THROWS …: North Carolina hadn’t suffered a loss by 20 or more points at home since 2002 against Duke, which won 87-58. … Kenny Williams led the Tar Heels in scoring for the first time this season. … It marked Louisville’s first victory in Chapel Hill in four all-time visits. There’s a rematch Feb. 2 at Louisville.

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